Man Utd join Liverpool, Chelsea in heated race for classy Prem winger as Ratcliffe plans ‘squad overhaul’
In-demand Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise
Manchester United are reportedly interested in signing Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise, who is a target for Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea.
The 22-year-old is considered to be one of the most exciting young players in the Premier League and the Eagles face a battle to keep hold of him.
Olise has netted five goals and made one assist in nine league games since returning from a hamstring injury in November. That includes a stunning brace as he played a crucial role in Palace’s 3-1 victory over Brentford on Saturday.
The Frenchman’s recent performances have caught the attention of several top clubs. As previously reported, Liverpool are considering a move for Olise, while Man City have registered an interest.
TEAMtalk understands that Chelsea also remain keen on Olise after they made an approach for him during the summer transfer window.
Liverpool have sent ‘top scouts’ to watch Olise in action this season and are ‘closely monitoring his situation.’
Jurgen Klopp will be forced to bring in a new winger if Mohamed Salah leaves for Saudi Arabia and the manager has identified the Eagles star as a potential replacement.
It now seems, however, that Man Utd could potentially scupper Klopp’s plan to lure Olise to Anfield.
Ratcliffe plans Man Utd ‘squad overhaul’
According to The Evening Standard, Man Utd are ‘interested in making Olise one of the first signings of the Sir Jim Ratcliffe era at Old Trafford.’
INEOS chairman Ratcliffe saw his £1.3bn bid to acquire 25 per cent of Man Utd accepted on Christmas Eve – with the deal to be officially ratified by the Premier League imminently.
Ratcliffe will assume ‘full control of football operations’ at the club as part of the deal.
The Evening Standard claim that a Man Utd move for Olise in January has been ‘ruled out,’ but the youngster has been identified as a key target ahead of ‘Ratcliffe’s planned squad overhaul’ at the end of the season.
The report notes that Olise has a release clause in his Palace contract. It’s unclear at this stage how high it is set, but is likely to be well above the £35m clause in his previous deal.
The release clause will become active at the end of the season, so there is likely to be a battle between Man Utd, Liverpool, Man City and Chelsea for his services next summer.
With that in mind, it will be interesting to see which of the Premier League giants come out on top in the race for Olise.
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